Page 27 of Single Glance

Also, I had no idea where we stood after that stolen moment in the kitchen. Assoon as we backed away, Emilia had called out for Cam upstairs, and he dashed off to tend to her, leaving without us discussing what the kiss meant—not that I had any idea what I wanted it to mean.

I expected a million other things to happen before kissing Cam. Pigs flying? Yup, that seemed more probable. But now, not only had my lips collided with Cam’s, but I wanted to do it again. Ever since we parted last night, all I could think about was him.

My hand flew to my mouth, tracing the lines with my thumb. Out of all the people in the world to make me feel this way, why did it have to be him? Cam had awoken something in me with his touch, as if I’d been sleeping for years, coasting by and never realizing what the world offered until his lips touched mine.

No, not going to happen. I was already the usurper in Victoria’s life, spending time withherkid and living inherguest house. The last thing I should ever add to that list was lusting after her baby daddy. It was a moment, nothing more. Plenty of people had kissed and nothing ever came of it. Shit, I had met plenty of guys in college, kissed them once or twice, and walked away with no hurt feelings. Who said that couldn’t be true for Cam and me?

Ollie elbowed me and gave me a curious smile. “You okay over there?”

“Yeah,” I lied. “I’m great. Just excited to watch the game.”

“Uh huh,” she drawled. “Okay, if we’re going to play Lie to Ollie, let’s change the subject. Who is that adorable little peanut I saw you come in with?”

“That’s Emilia.” I waved at her as she excitedly bounced on her uncle’s lap. The jersey eclipsed her petite body, and it was desperate for some extra bedazzling, but she was adorable nestled in her uncle’s protective arms. My smile softened as she looked over at me and waved. “Cam’s daughter.”

“She might be the cutest kid on this planet.”

“Agreed,” I said. “But I’m also biased. She’s my mini-bestie, so I love her more than words. It also helps that she’s an amazing kid.”

“I love that,” she said. “And the hottie she’s hanging out with. Please tell me he’s single.”

“Not even a little,” I chuckled. “That’s her uncle, and he’s disgustingly devoted to his wife. If she wasn’t eight months pregnant, she’d be here with him.”

“Damn, the good ones are always taken.”

“What about Parker?” I asked. “Nothing between the two of you?”

“Not you too,” Ollie said. “Parker and I…it’s complicated. We’re more than best friends—we’re family. I’d never jeopardize that.” She sighed and glanced down at her hands. “Besides, there’s a window, you know? If something was going to happen, it would have happened years ago. He’s shown no interest in anything more than friendship, and I’ve got to respect his wishes.”

I nodded, wanting to ask so many more questions but also knowing it wasn’t any of my business. Besides, with my own complicated love life, I had no right to give anyone else advice.

As Ollie turned to talk to the person on her other side, the scoreboard lit up, and the announcer started calling out names. As each player rushed out onto the field, I held my breath, waiting until I saw Cam dash out onto the field. The same country song blared through the stadium, amping up the excited crowd. Just the familiar rhythm made my heart beat a little faster, building anticipationfor things to come. I mouthed along with the lyrics, watching as the players rushed onto the field.

The heavy bass line clicked on, and Cam’s face lit up the giant scoreboard directly across from us. I hated the way my stomach somersaulted at his image. His grin locked, as if he was staring through me. It was a cheap imitation of his genuine smile, the one that only came out with Emilia. His picture made him look handsome, someone who would catch everyone’s eye. But the real Cam? The one whose eyes sparkled when he looked at his daughter?

Downright devastating.

Cam ran out on the field, clapping his teammates’ shoulders as he passed. His eyes scanned the boxes, not stopping until he found ours. He held up his hands in a heart before pointing to Emilia. Her entire face lit up as she screamed out for her dad.

I waited for him to turn back to the game, but he frowned, continuing to scan the box until he caught my eyes. A wide grin filled his face as he winked up at me, just like he had during that first game. For that moment, I forgot about why I shouldn’t want him, forgot about the complications, forgot about my best friend who had loved him first.

All I could think about was how good it felt when his eyes met mine.

At least until Cole turned, his brow furrowing as he stared at me in confusion.Oh, God.What was he thinking? With just one look, Cole had drowned all the excited little butterflies in my gut, crushing them until they turned to dust, souring my stomach.

What the hell was I doing? It was one thing to daydream about Cam; it was another beast to act on these impulses. By kissing him back, I’d brokenevery cardinal rule of friendship.Thou shall not covet thy best friend’s ex.And while I knew in my heart Victoria would give us her blessing, I didn’t think I could ever bring myself to ask.

I glanced down at Cam as he stretched on the field, and an ache echoed through my body. There was something here, wasn’t there? Something more than a couple of stolen moments? It was complicated—messy—and I didn’t do that well. I was much more of aget out before anyone gets too attachedkind of girl. After all, I’d already formed my world around a boy once, and all that earned me was heartache.

However, when the guest of honor—some country singer—belted out the national anthem, my eyes stayed trained on Cam, unable to turn away, no matter how many times I told myself I should. The crowd erupted into cheers, and I half-heartedly clapped along, not sure if I heard a single word.

TWENTY-TWO

The dugout radiated with tension as we stared at the scoreboard. At the top of the fifth inning, Denver led us by four runs, and our outfield had gifted almost all of them. Benny cursed as he watched two players fumble over a ball, tossing it to Jace to end the player’s run. His catch was just as sloppy, letting the ball fly past his mitt toward the pitcher’s mound. Robbins, the runner from the other team, seized the opportunity and dashed to third.

“A motherfucking triple,” Benny cursed, his fist clenching like he wanted to strangle the entire outfield. He signaled for a time-out, then pulled over the bench coach. They whispered for a second, and then Benny met my eye. “Seda, get your ass out there. Don’t let them score another goddamn run.”

Gray slapped me on the back as I ran out onto the field, passing by Jace. He scowled when I dashed past him. Part of me felt bad for the guy. We were in the same position, both fighting an uphill battle to stay at the top, but while I was getting comfortable on the team, Jace seemed to be the opposite. It was like the pressure made him even surlier,his temper rearing its head too often. There’d been rumbling from some vets—talk about him going back down to the minors if he didn’t get his shit together.

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